A cancer diagnosis is life-changing news, and with it comes a maelstrom of emotions. City of Hope offers help and healing, but some patients may justifiably feel apprehensive when they make their first medical visits, just as new patients would anywhere.
 Bea and Ed Wolfe (Photo by p.cunningham) |
At a desk just inside the Main Medical Building, Ed and Bea Wolfe help these patients get where they need to go. Along with directions and information, they might dispense a joke or offer some reassurance. After all, Ed Wolfe has been a patient at City of Hope as well, so he can understand their feelings. The Wolfes’ compassion helps ease the burden for patients.
“When people come in, they’re carrying with them a sack full of fear,” Ed Wolfe said. “If I can get them to leave my desk with a laugh or a smile, to just forget where they are for maybe a few seconds, then I feel like I’ve given them a real gift.”
Giving is nothing new for the Wolfes. As a member of the Monterey Park Chapter for more than half a century, including 25 years as its president, Bea Wolfe chaired fundraising events to benefit City of Hope. After that chapter was retired to honorary status, the Wolfes became active with the Partners for Hope Chapter in Arcadia, Calif.
The couple, who recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, have donated more than $1 million to City of Hope, supporting research in gene therapy and virology. Their leadership and generosity have earned them The Spirit of Life® Award and Tabak Award.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” Bea Wolfe said, “and I’ve always thought that when you’re as lucky as we are, it’s important to help others.”
Their involvement in philanthropy has been rewarding, but the Wolfes report a more personal sense of fulfillment as they help visitors at City of Hope. Ed Wolfe began volunteering at the front desk about eight years ago. He staffs the position every Tuesday and Thursday. His wife joins him, splitting time between the desk and working with the Department of Food and Nutritional Services.
“We get paid in satisfaction,” Ed Wolfe said. “We find that the greatest satisfaction we get, apart from each other, is the ability to help other people.”
The Wolfes, of San Gabriel, Calif., have a long history of volunteerism. Bea Wolfe visited women in Los Angeles jails for 20 years. Shortly after retiring from the metal industry in 1981, Ed Wolfe volunteered as a City of Hope tour guide. He also has served as chair of San Gabriel Valley Medical Center’s board of directors for nine years and foundation board of directors for three years.
Ed Wolfe underwent surgery at City of Hope nine years ago. The Wolfes’ gratitude for his care keeps them tied to the institution.
“City of Hope’s been real good to us,” Bea Wolfe said. “When Eddie was a patient, I saw how well they treated him. It’s just a very special place.”
They also remain because of their empathy for cancer patients and their families.
The words of one patient in particular have stuck with Ed Wolfe. About six years ago, while he escorted a woman in a wheelchair to her treatment, she turned to read his name badge.
“She said, ‘Ed, you’re the best medicine I have in this place,’” he recalled. “You know, that sort of makes you feel nine feet tall.
“Or at least eight-foot-seven.”